IndyCar - The Fence Issue At Texas Revisited

Indianapolis, Mar. 8, 2012: Oriol Servia, one of the more measured yet refreshingly outspoken members of the IndyCar driver lineup, said the dispute between the series and Texas Motor Speedway over its fencing should be understood as a two-part equation.

The pack racing prevalent on such high-banked 1.5-mile ovals, he said, should be eliminated from the series entirely. Texas, he said, could become a safer venue--it is scheduled to host a June 9 event--by reconfiguring its fence posts to the outside of the mesh.

The questioning of his facility has drawn the public ire of track president Eddie Gossage, who claims that engineering studies support his track's setup. Las Vegas and Texas are both owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc.

Servia buttressed his point by noting that boxing stanchions and high guard-rails supports are situated on the outside of the ropes and guard rails, respectively.

“My biggest issue is how the fence is built in those tracks,” he said. “I am not a fence engineer. I just know if I can avoid hitting a post or a pole I'd rather slide through the wires before I hit a pole. [Las Vegas and Texas] are the only ones I believe on the planet that are built that way. So I just cannot help myself but to not like it.

“We've had many races there without having issues, but every time a car has hit the fence there it has been horrible, and that's why because you hit the pole no matter where you go up in the fence. You end up in a pole because they stick out. That's my issue, nothing else. Pack racing can be solved. And it is a little bit in our hands to be taking care of each other. Though I believe it doesn't matter if it's the first 10 laps or the last 10. We are going to try and win it as drivers and it's up to the series to make it difficult for us to be in a pack.”